The governorates of the Eastern Province have achieved a presence in global urban indicators, within the Global Smart Cities Index “IMD World Competitiveness Center”, which reflects the rapid development in adopting the concepts of Smart Cities and enhancing the quality of urban life.<Hafar Al Batin ranked 100th globally in the Smart Cities Index for the first time, while Al Khobar ranked 64th in the international ranking.

The Global Smart Cities Index is one of the most prominent international indicators that measure the performance of cities in employing modern technologies and innovation to improve the quality of life by developing urban services, raising the efficiency of infrastructure, and promoting the integration of digital solutions in various vital sectors.<The index methodology is based on measuring residents“ perceptions of the level of services and quality of life through field surveys, in addition to analyzing the performance of cities according to two main axes: the infrastructure axis, which measures the quality and availability of basic services such as roads, healthcare and public spaces, and the technology axis, which measures the level of adoption of digital solutions and smart services, including applications, electronic platforms and communication networks.

The assessment covers five main areas: Health and Safety, Mobility, Public Activities, Opportunities and Governance, across 39 criteria The inclusion of Hafar Al Batin comes as a result of coordination and integration between the Eastern Province Development Authority and the Provincial Municipality, through the implementation of quality initiatives that support the concepts of smart cities and enhance the readiness of the city according to international standards, as part of the efforts of government agencies in the Eastern Province to support digital transformation and develop urban services, which contributes to raising the efficiency of city management and improving the quality of life, in addition to enhancing the presence of cities in the region in global urban development and innovation indicators.

In turn, the CEO of the Eastern Province Development Authority, Mr. Hafar Al Batin, raised the